Oldest Person Alive Found Thriving On Local Meats, Fruits, And Veggies In Amazon

[Pumpkin Eater]

I know, it's treehugger.com. But I agree she has a great diet.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/worlds-oldest-person-found-thriving-in-the-amazon.php

While the Amazon rainforest is certainly known to be teeming with life, it turns out that the people who live there are too. Maria Lucimar Pereira, an indigenous Amazonian belonging to the Kaxinawá tribe of western Brazil, will soon be celebrating her birthday -- her 121st birthday, to be exact. The truth behind Pereira's remarkable longevity was recently discovered by the Brazilian government while performing a routine review of birth records -- which, in her case, date back to 1890 -- making her the world's oldest living person. And the best part of all? Pereira credits her long-life to an all-natural diet derived wholly from the Amazon.

According to Survival International, an indigenous rights group working in the Amazon, the government officials have confirmed the validity of Pereira's birth certificate, indicating that the Brazilian native is not only the world's oldest living person, but is also 6 years older than the previous title-holder.

What makes Pereira's longevity all the more fascinating are the humble conditions in which she lives. The centenarian, who will turn 121 years old on Saturday, lives in a remote corner of the Amazon, in the Brazilian state of Acre, where she practices a traditional way of life that stretches back for centuries, free of many modern amenities many people half her age often think they cannot live without.

Pereira credits her long-life to an active, healthy lifestyle, in addition to a diet rich in locally grown meats, fruits, and vegetables gathered in the forests around her home -- free of the extra salt, sugar, and preservatives so commonly found in foods around the world. Her all-natural diet, along with frequent walks around town, has allowed Pereira to thrive while others, many years her junior, do not.

With so many fads and gimmicks aimed at promoting a 'healthy' alternative, Pereira's example seems to suggest that looking to past dietary habits may be the best way to ensure a thriving life stretching far into the future.

"All too often we witness the negative effects forced change can have on indigenous peoples," says Stephen Corry of Survival International. "It is refreshing to see a community that has retained strong links to its ancestral land and enjoyed the undeniable benefits of this."

[VaporTrail]

I read an article recently that showed how Eskimo women who lived a traditional lifestyle had a practically nonexistent rate of breast cancer. These women were compared with other Eskimo women who lived in Anchorage who had a cancer appearance rate comparable to the general population. We're doing something wrong.

[VaporTrail]

I read an article recently that showed how Eskimo women who lived a traditional lifestyle had a practically nonexistent rate of breast cancer. These women were compared with other Eskimo women who lived in Anchorage who had a cancer appearance rate comparable to the general population. We're doing something wrong.

[calfoxwc]

Colon cancer rates are low in other parts of the world where they don't have

all these processed low-fiber, high additives and preservatives in them.

The sugar is processed.....

Not good. We love our big garden....and I don't spray artificial crap on it.

You get more loss, but it's healthier stuff.

Can't wait to start canning.

[DieHardBrownsFan]

Diet probably has little to do with it. It is mainly genetics.

[Kosar_For_President]

I thought Die Hard lived in Cleveland? JK

[DieHardBrownsFan]

@kosar_for_president said:

I thought Die Hard lived in Cleveland? JK

That's what I look like the morning after a Browns loss and too much alcohol.

[Pumpkin Eater]

I don't know. Knowing the way the body works, if you eat a bunch of junk that damages your cells, it will certainly lead to a shorter life. I think diet has a lot to do with it. Preservatives and processed crap can't be good for you.

[VaporTrail]

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Diet probably has little to do with it. It is mainly genetics.

I completely disagree, as I said, the article I mentioned above showed that nearly genetically identical Eskimo women who lived different lifestyles had different rates of cancer. There are so many synthetic chemicals that our bodies are simply not evolved to handle. We only know so much, and the body of knowledge on what we eat, sadly, isn't very comprehensive.

[DieHardBrownsFan]

@vaportrail said:

I completely disagree, as I said, the article I mentioned above showed that nearly genetically identical Eskimo women who lived different lifestyles had different rates of cancer. There are so many synthetic chemicals that our bodies are simply not evolved to handle. We only know so much, and the body of knowledge on what we eat, sadly, isn't very comprehensive.

Well if that were the case wouldn't everyone living in the same area live as long? They eat the same diet don't they? I'm sure that eating bacon and doughnuts everyday for breakfast will lead to a shorter life span, but I don't think that just eating healthy will guarantee a long life. My Grandmother who was Irish lived till one month shy of her 98th birthday. She ate sweets, pork, steak you name it. She even smoked when she was younger. My Grandfather who ate basically the same diet died at the age of 61 from complications from Colon Cancer. Some people never smoke (Like Christopher Reeves wife) die of lung cancer. Others smoke till there 70 and never get it.

[calfoxwc]

75 percent of breast cancers, happen in families with no history of it.

Not genetics so much.